The novel is an interesting story about a man's experiences in the financial industry and his struggles with himself given the ethics of that industry. The author does an excellent job of explaining basic financial concepts so that the reader gets an education in that world, and this makes the book more interesting.

This book has it all--terrific locations, love, sex, and greed, with a main character--Nick Larson--that you just have to root for as he struggles with right and wrong. The author hits the nail on the head with the backroom shenanigans of the financial market. He clearly knows the ins and outs of the financial world. The story portrayed could easily be tomorrow's headline.

max isaacman did a great job describing the pump and dump of a houston oil stock--he also showsthe very human side of a stockbroker who is searching to do good--he is lonely but has to make a living--a onetime big producer -sucessfull broker but when his wife dies --things begin happening to hime--a very human story--a fast exciting read that you can not put down--mr isaacman is the louie lamore for stock traders and investors--

The exceptional heroine of this book, Michelle Lovelace, is already a role model for me- her intellect, ambition, and open lifestyle. She's also a champion of worthy causes (such as the rights of Islamic women), an award-winning film actress (Best Actress at Venice), and an international sexual adventuress. However, her dedication to her dynastic role within the ISIS circle becomes in the end a fatal trap. Sensational, yet at the same time highly developed, this book is full of surprises. Also, the humor was very subtle and refreshing.

An un-typical and highly organized political thriller whose athletic prose has enough phoilosophical and historical currents running through it- women's lib, big oil, espionage, nuclear misadventure- to qualify it for the pantheon of Ludlum, Clancy, Forsythe and Higgins. The villainous element is highly effective- the Daughters of Isis, an elitist band of women bent on revenge and sexual chaos, are Terror in female form, making them the flip-side to Charlie's Angels. Prophetic and hard-hitting.

A very graphic peep show into the world of espionage and global power. The characters are realistic and memorable, and I found the action elements- the intrigue and the military and political angles- exceptionally well-researched. The erotica is hi-profile and steamy, and the book has a novel twist on the battle of the sexes- it shows how people, and especially women, can sacrifice their values for the sake of joining mis-directed causes.

I picked this book up as something to read on the plane, not knowing or even hearing of Ms. Kellogg ever before. But, once I started reading it, I just couldn't put it down. I was very impressed with Ms. Kellogg's style--she gives her main character, Lilly Bennett, such insight and wisdom into all the other brilliant characters that inhabit the story, I was enraptured to the end. I love the setting and general feel of the book- the laid-back, yet sophisticated upper-class western that the book is set in was a breath of fresh air from what seems like every other stuffy, old-school murder mystery dealing with the upper class.

I'm working on reading all the rest of Ms. Kellogg's work now, and I have to say that it just keeps getting better. Kudos to you, Marne!

Forget the plot -- read Kellogg's books for her wordsmithing. In this novel, sleuth Lily really comes into her own with her on-target marksmanship rivaled only by her pinpoint accuracy in assessing the world as we know it. Her comments on an indecent exposure case are worth the price of admission. And how refreshing it is to have a protagonist who doesn't cut her own hair with nail scissors but who can still shoot-em-up with the best of 'em.

Heiress, private sleuth and U.S. Marshall, Lilly Bennett, is finally getting married, an event which her mother had almost given up on. After more than a couple decades of trying to find the right man, Lilly is marrying Richard...who is everything a woman could want. She takes on the case of a murdered oil heiress the week of her fabulous wedding and puts not only her life and that of her brother's on the line, but is expected to attend a number of high society pre-marital parties. Can she do it all and still keep the love of her life? Lilly has fun skewering both ends of the political spectrum as well as societal mores. A professional woman sleuth...with a big difference.

This book is a fascinating look at the life and times of one Edward Doheny the onetime founder of Mexican Oil Company prior to the nationalization of reserves by the revolutionary PRI party in the early days of their power. The narrative follows the career of Mr. Doheny from his modest prospector days in the Wild West to the heights of his infamy during the Teapot Dome scandal.

This is perhaps a timely book as well given the questions being raised at the time of this writing about corporate malfeasance and corruption in the U.S. (Enron). Teapot Dome was one of the biggest political scandals in the first half of the 20th century and involved the leasing of government/public lands in preserve areas for energy development. More than one person went to prison and wrongdoing was proven against multiple individuals in the matter.

The book makes the case that Doheny was more or less guilty of poor judgment and being in the wrong place at the wrong time more or less. It is true of course that Doheny was found innocent on the charges and it is also true that despite this Teapot Dome is the matter for which he is best known (despite for instance being a contemporary and rival of John D. Rockefeller in the oil business). If in fact he was innocent of the charges then he paid a heavy price in terms of his health and the somewhat mysterious death of his son, which was either suicide or murder depending on who you ask and how you look at it.

For those with an interest in the biographies of the early titans of U.S. industry this is a worthy read in that it does detail Mr. Doheny's rise to power as well as his fall from grace. He came from a modest background and did not make his fortune until after the age of 40 in a time before life expectations averaged 70+. He suffered through personal loses and setbacks and managed at the time of his death, despite the misfortunes, to bequeath a sizeable fortune to his heirs. This book may also be of particular interest in the study of Los Angelos in particular and California in general in that the Doheny's were prominent citizens who built some noteworthy structures in the city including religious and educational facilities.

The author acknowledges that she had the cooperation and blessings of the descendants of Mr. Doheny and that a good body of original documentation was available for review and research. This provides an intimate look at the lives of the people in question but it also may cause the thesis to lean towards their views. The book does tend to exonerate Doheny in Teapot Dome and it does make a good argument that his involvement was not profitable and that the Navy Dept in fact sought him out because of rising fears of the Japanese Navy in the years leading up to WWII. It was a condition of Mr. Doheny's development of the area under lease to him that he build an extensive oil storage and supply facility for the Navy in the Hawaiian Isles out of his own pocket. This he did and subsequently was not reimbursed when the lease was negated despite having spent many millions in pre-WWII monies. It is also I believe true to state that it was Henry Sinclair who was the actual lease holder on the Teapot Dome acreage and that Doheny was leased an entirely separate parcel of public land. Sinclair along with Interior Secretary Albert Fall went to prison in the affair but Doheny was also tarred and feathered by the affair.
Whether the delivery of $100,000 in cash by Doheny's son to Sec. Fall was in fact a personal loan much as one might expect between old prospecting buddies (which they were) is really a matter of conjecture. At any rate there was clearly the appearance of impropriety in the matter and both Doheny's son and the man accompanying him that night were involved in a murder/suicide after indictment but before trial. With the principle witness gone and little other corobative evidence Mr. Doheny's celebrity legal representation did get him acquitted although he was convicted in the court of public opinion.

Personally I am inclined to believe a man of his stature might loan a friend the sum in question but I also would not be surprised if a quid pro quo were expected in return. You see there was any number of companies competing in secret for the government contracts and it is interesting that both men who won had either the appearance of impropriety or were outright convicted of bribery. Part of the reason Doheny was spared prison was in fact due to the death of his son and his earnest and teary eyed appearance on the witness stand where he looked the part of a grieving grandfatherly figure who had lost something money could not replace.
It is an intriguing story and well written book, not terribly long or archaic for the casual reader. While it is a history book it is in fact also the story of an interesting chapter in American business and personality history.

Margaret Leslie Davis has done it again with another fine biography. Ms. Davis shows us the inner man of Edward L. Doheny, one of the richest and greatest Californians in history, virtually the John D. Rockefeller, Sr. of the West. Doheny was flat broke at the ripe age of 40 and yet within a few years he became one of the richest men in the country through his wild-cat oil discoveries in Los Angeles and Mexico. The break-up of Rockefeller's Standard Oil by the U.S. Supreme Court left Doheny an opening which he exploited adroitly. Most impressive is Ms. Davis's keen legal understanding and her scrupulous attention to noting her sources. In fact, the "notes" at the end of the book are arranged so that the top of the page refers the reader to the page number of the text thereby making it very easy to flip back and check the source. A small detail, perhaps, but much appreciated. Ms. Davis is a true scholar; her legal training shows itself especially when discussing the Tea Pot Dome scandal that ultimately tarnished Doheny's reputation. In short, Ms. Davis is becoming our finest historian on the West and particularly California.

Very few biographers could have sifted through the complex and oftentimes mysterious paper trails of Edward Doheny's life to compile such a mesmerizing tale of ambition, scandal, heartbreak, and murder. Margaret Leslie Davis, (winner of the Western Writers of America's Golden Spur Award for Best Nonfiction Book) exceeds her previous biographical effort to regale readers with a shadowy epic tracing the rise, fall, and tragic legacy of an American Icarus who flew too close to the sun.

Buy this book. You'll not be disappointed.

n a world of sequels, and cruising off the success of Petroleum Refining for the Non-technical Person, we thought people in and around the petrochemicals industry could use a simpler description of their products and processes. For a target audience, we had in mind not the engineers and chemists but the marketers, the transporters, the suppliers, the finance people, the support people, and those bungie managers that seem to be in perpetual motion through various jobs in the business. We do, however, see copies of our book on the shelves of many of our technical friends.

We wrote the first edition of this book in 1983. Our intent was to create something to allow people outside the business to be able to talk knowledgeably and cogently to people inside petrochemicals. Little did we believe that the 3rd edition 20 years later would still be in big demand for the same basic purpose.

If you want to understand the oil refining and petrochemical industry, this is it. Although these books focus on technology, by reading them, you will gain valuable insight into how the industry works and how to market your products more effectively to these companies.

A great book for anyone that works in the industry in a supporting role. The book clearly explains the aspects of what it takes to find, develop, produce oil and gas.

"Conaway, a consultant, offers a very useful resource for the many people who are affected by some aspect of the petroleum industry and need information to vote, legislate, regulate, or simply understand this complicated and very significant business. The author is not only highly qualified but has the rare gift of being able to articulate complex processes in clear, simple English without being condescending. Topics from anticlines to workover units are illustrated and put into real-world context. Conaway is careful to use the actual working terminology of the oil field but includes explanations of odd terms like "fish" and "buff and puff." The coverage is encyclopedic, discussing everything from the structure of the Earth through all aspects of finding, recovering, transporting, refining, and marketing the product. The clear writing, plus numerous well-drawn illustrations, make this book a pleasure to read. Glossary. All levels." -- J. C. Comer, Northern Illinois University

Conveys the big picture with enough well-explained technical detail to give you a sense for why. Includes the business implications of various key geological and technical points. The best overview of the petroleum industry that I've come across. I wish other industries had a book like this!

Mr. Newland pointed out that the book was published in 1975 and that Ultra Large Crude Carriers or ULCCs which is the official industry term for a supertanker, have probably gotten bigger. Indeed he is correct in his assumption. The world's largest ship right now (which also makes it the largest man-made moving object on the planet) is the Jahre Viking weighs a monumental 564,763 deadweight tons; has a length of 458.45 meters (approximately one third of a mile); and is driven by a 37,300 Kilowatt turbine.
Information can be found at ....

As Mr. Newland anticipated, the Jahre Viking was launched in 1976, one year after the book Supership was published. The Jahre Viking was built by Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd of Japan and is currently operated by Jahre-Wallem of Norway, one of the largest ship management companies in the world.

It goes without saying that if an accident were to happen to a ship of this size, the environmental consequences would be catastrophic. Of course, since 9-11-2001, the terrorist threat has added another dimension to the dilemma. One would hope that security measures have been re-evaluated, however I am not hopeful. As of this writing today, we here in the USA just saw a 15-year old boy take a small private Cessna aircraft, fly it past one of our most secure military bases -- McDill Air Force Base in Florida -- and crash it into a high-rise building owned by Bank of America. If that is how lax our security is on our own home turf and only three months after 9-11, I shudder to think what the security is like in international waters on the open seas.

I must agree with Mr. Newland that a 2nd edition of this book is needed and perhaps, now more than ever.

I first read Supership in the late 1970's and did not reread it until this year (2001). The second time around made a much deeper impression on me, and I found it to be - for the most part - as riveting and terrifying as a horror novel. I only wish Mostert's tale was fiction.

The book describes the pros and cons of supertankers, which I'm sure have only grown since the behemoths described from 30 years ago. Mostert is no muckraker, and he does humanize the crew in good and appropriate detail (they are individuals; not monsters, not corporate automatons), but the overriding feeling I got in reading the book was dismay and helpless frustration. The impact that these ships, and the oil-consuming culture that we take for granted, has resulted in more ecological devastation than we can know. The mysteries of ocean currents are one thing that make the range of oil spills and leaks impossible to know, but the way the earth depends on the numerous lifeforms in the sea are another. Like Rachel Carson a decade earlier, Mostert is a thinking and balanced environmental reporter, and he knows the sea. I found him to be an excellent writer, using the structure of the Ardshiel's basic Europe-Gulf-Europe round trip to order the book but spinning numerous side stories related to each stage of the trip to cast light on various historical and environmental issues. It held my interest and terrified me at the same time.

The fact that 27 years have passed since its writing seemed like a mixed blessing. On one hand, the earth has survived continued oil spills of huge proportions (the book makes you feel that mankind would not survive the 20th century). On the other hand, the spills and tanker volume have only increased since the early 1970's and who knows how much worse things have gotten.

Supership is a great read and I would hope that a 2nd edition is in the works!

I loved this book. It deals with many things, such as how these ships were built, and why. It also gives these massive vessels a human face, because the author actually trvelled aboard a supertanker, and he gives an exellent account of the voyage, as seen through his eyes, and those of the crew. A person reading this book will find themselves wondering how some shipowners are even allowed to operate at all, or how things have gotten the way they have. He raises many hard questions concerning flags of convenience, the environment, and ship safety. If you are into ships, the sea, or just want a good read, this is well worth getting hold of.

This book and the companion volumes are some of the best tools available for process engieers in the design business. Ludwig has been able to capture a balance between the theory and the real world. An excellent application book highly illustrated and with excellent method summaries and examples.

I have about two hundred of book on chemical process design. For me this is one of the best book ever made on subject, with many examples. The target is mainly basic and petrochemical industries but also if you are interested in fine chemicals you will find what you are looking for.

I only gave it four stars because I have not yet read it, but from what I know of the man it must be an excellent read, and also a way of understanding the Saudis of today by seeing where they were sixty years ago. Barger made a huge impact on the nation, even in their pronounciation of the "hambarger"! ^_^ Barger was a man who was not only intrested in the geology of the young country but it's people, customs and history. In my mind not only people who have an intrest in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia should read this book, but anyone who enjoys stories of adventuring pioneers and men who take the road less travelled.

I am an American Educated Saudi businessman living in Jeddah, Saudi Arbaia but I have been doing business with Aramco for the past 20 years or so. I know the Eastern part of Saudi Arabia as well as Riyadh, where my family and I lived for 17 years before moving back to our home town, Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia, seen in the eyes of a young geologist armed with little background information, became a fertile ground to develop his exploratory instincts prodded by his young wife through lovely romantic letters. He fell in love with the country and the country fell in love with him. This affair, I believe, fuelled his love for his wife and hers for him.

It is a book I am recommending for my children to read to "re-discover" their country instead of relying on uninformative and largely incorrect description by satellite media moguls.

As being one of the many grandchildren of Thomas Barger (A.K.A Daddy Tom to us!)I found this book inspirational and touching. I never had the chance to actually meet my grandfather, but through this book I had a chance to understand what his job really entailed and how great a man he really was. The best part of the book are the love letters between Daddy Tom and Kathleen. Their romance produced 6 wonderful children and 13 glorious grandchildren. Get this book if you are even slightly interested in the history and traditions of Arabia!

Really enjoyed this book. Had a hard time putting it down.

Generally, university press novels have a hard time getting the attention
they deserve, except, of course, for THE CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES, the
posthumous novel published a dozen years ago by LSU Press. Too bad, as
sometimes one reads a novel such as WHERE THE RIVER BENDS and feels it's not
going to get the coverage it deserves because of the size of its publisher
(SMU Press).

But this book ranks with Philip Roth's DYING ANIMAL and the new novel
PRAGUE, which I have just read, as well as EMPIRE FALLS by Russo--which, by
the way, I do not regard as a "regional novel" even though it is all about
Maine. Nor do I regard WHERE THE RIVER BENDS as a regional novel, even
though it is all about Texas. Novels with hefty themes and universal
characters transcend their setting. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool New Englander,
and I loved this book. Let's hope the wider public takes notice of it. -- A
reader from Arlington, Vermont.

This is a masterful book full of poignancy, humor and the kind of suspense we experience in the normal path of life. Richard Haddaway has a great ability to draw characters who live. His descriptions of places and situations are vivid and compelling.

I found it hard to put the book down. I wish there were more. And I hope a movie will be made of this book.

Read it!